Thank You For Me
by skystar234
Summary: In 1995, Joey helped out a woman who had no one else. As it turned out, the one most impacted was the one who would not actually remember the day. Oneshot, what might have been. K for a little bit of language, but mostly intended to be fluffy.


_Just a little plot that was bouncing around in my head after my friends and I had a Friends Marathon. I worked out a lot of the math and it should be correct, names and titles as well (Except for Josie, that_ _'_ _s all mine). The last part of the story takes place this year, so all of the Friends would be a little older and lived a little more life, but Joey is the only one who matters in this one!_

For the life of her, Josie could not figure out why her mother was so obsessed with a soap opera.

Ever since she could remember, Wednesdays always included her mother sitting down in front of the TV and switching on _Days of Our Lives_. The die-hard Celtics fan who hated romantic comedies and had a biting sarcastic comment for every situation somehow sat through over-the-top plot lines and wildly dramatic actors.

This was the woman who laughed every time CSI: Miami came on with its cheesy oneliners.

Josie couldn't see the appeal herself. She had always taken after her mother in that regard- her mother used to joke and say "God I'm glad she has my brains" to her father. She just couldn't take the show seriously at all. Honestly, how many half siblings could one person have anyway?

She figured it was her mothers' one guilty pleasure and she would eventually get board with it. She noticed that _Days of Our Lives_ was more likely to be on when her parents were on the rocks again. They'd always been on-again, off-again, Josie knew that. Her father hadn't even been at the hospital when she was born; by her mother's admission she hadn't even called him when she'd gone into labor.

Even when she was little though, Josie noticed when her mother talked about the day she was born, sometimes she'd mentioned a "he".

"I think he was even more nervous than I was," She'd heard from her mother, or "He took good care of us."

Josie didn't know what to make of that.

When Josie was eight years old, her mother managed to get tickets to a movie premiere, leaving her home with a babysitter. The funny thing was that the movie, _Over There_ , was a war movie. Her mother hated war movies.

"They're violent and bloody and completely disrespectful to men who actually died in combat," She argued with Josie's father. That was during one of their 'off' phases.

It took Josie until she was 16 to realize what _Days of Our Lives_ and _Over There_ had in common- both starred one Joey Tribbiani, a relatively good-looking Italian-American actor. When Josie looked him up she noticed he hadn't really done much, just a few off-Broadway plays, a long defunct crime show (Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E? Seriously?) and an occasional cameo in a movie.

Josie figured her mom had seen one of his early plays, thought he was cute, and just started following his career. Plus he lived in the city so she might have run into him at some point or another.

It wasn't until a senior year origin project that Josie learned otherwise.

"Wait, there was a movie star in my delivery room?" She asked in astonishment, gaping at her mother's smile. "And you never told me?!"

"He wasn't a movie star back then." The older woman excused herself. "He was just a guy watching basketball who was there when I needed him."

"And you named me after him!" Josie exclaimed.

Her mother shrugged. "You didn't feel like a Bethany. That's what your grandma picked."

Josie scooted closer, eyes wide and sparkling. "Have you ever talked to him? Tried to get in touch?"

Her mother laughed, though it sounded a little sad. "Hun, I don't even think I ever told him my name. I just like to see what he's doing because he was there when your dad wasn't, and I never really got to thank him for that. He was a really sweet guy." She paused. "For a Knick fan."

Josie badgered her mother for more details, so she told her about how they argued over their respective teams ("I said he was nice, I never said he was smart"), how he'd needed his own breathing exercise after her water broke, how her mother had tried to set her and Joey up ("I've never heard your grandmother hang up so fast").

She also told Josie about how Joey never left, not even when she told him to, and they'd argued some more ("He said the players run the Celtics," her mother said indignantly). Everyone had apologized to her at that hospital, saying what a shame it was that she was all alone and the father wasn't there, but she always said she hadn't been alone. She'd been with Joey.

The day Josie met her namesake was a complete accident. The newly-legal college student had missed her train after lecture, and since the next train didn't come for another twenty minutes, she decided to stop for a cup of coffee before heading home.

She was not a fan of Starbucks, so she ducked into a little shop five minutes from the station called Central Perk.

The middle of the shop was dominated by a large group of older adults, probably about her parents' age, all centered around a bright orange couch. They were all chatting animatedly, cutting each other off and sharing pictures. Josie could tell they were all close, though it seemed like they might not have seen each other in awhile.

Jose had originally just planned on grabbing the coffee and leaving- she had a twenty-page paper due in three days she needed to finish- but as she turned away from the counter with her order, she realized one of the faces around the couch was familiar.

He was older, grey speckling his dark hair and there were lines around his eyes that hadn't been there on TV, but it looked like him.

"Excuse me," she said, walking closer to the group. "Are you Joey Tribbiani?"

The smile she got in response seemed to take about ten years off his face. "That's right I am! Would you like me to sign something for you?"

Josie shook her head. "Nah. I just wanted to thank you."

She smiled a little at the confusion that spread across his face.

"We've never really met. My name's Josephine Mistretta. About 21 years ago, you helped my mom in the delivery room."

Everyone in the group turned to stare at Joey, whose eyes went wide. "Oh my God." He blinked several times. "I…uh…how's your mom?"

Josie smiled. "Good. Her name's Lydia. She still watches _Days of Our Lives_ reruns to see how you're doing- she was pissed when you died." Once he'd started getting the older, his appearances on the show grew less and less frequent until he died of an infection to his transplanted brain. "She watches your movies too."

Joey smiled at her again, but this one was different. It wasn't a press-releasey, obnoxious, fake smile. This one was softer, and had the hint of memory behind it.

"Well, tell her I say thanks," he said.

Josie nodded. "I will. I'd like to thank you too. It really meant a lot to her, having someone there. I know my dad's a bit of an asshat, so I'm glad it was you." She bit her lip. "I'm actually studying to be a midwife, you know, so I can be there for someone like that." Then, to lighten the mood a little, she grinned cheekily. "Besides, none of my friends can say they were named after a movie star."

She winked before walking towards the door, nursing the cup of coffee between her hands and listening to the low murmur from Joey's friends. Apparently none of them had realized Joey had helped someone deliver a baby and they were all very confused.

At the last moment, Josie turned back on her heel and smirked. "Oh, by the way: the Knicks suck."

The entire group gasped and stared at Joey. He narrowed his eyes, but they were glittering happily.

"Well, the Celtics couldn't hit water if they…no, they couldn't hit a boat if-" He paused. "They suck alright?"

Josie laughed before waving goodbye and walking out to catch her train.

She had a good namesake.


End file.
